The present invention relates to a system especially for airline travelers whose travel articles, such as baggage and the like, may be separated from the traveler and hidden from view and which identifies the presence of the travel articles confirming for the passenger that the articles have not been left behind or routed on another aircraft, or in the alternative letting the traveler know that his bags are in fact left behind or routed onto another aircraft to give the traveler the ability to plan ahead and compensate by making alternative plans such as the taking of early action to insure that they are quickly located and to lessen the time during which the articles are unavailable, and may specifically relate to a system especially related to airline travel, which utilizes an altimeter, programmed methodology, and specific aircraft environment which may be known as a pressurization fingerprint, or cabin altitude fingerprint, to control power, including both inputs and outputs for portable electronic devices, hereinafter PEDs, such as cell phones, electronic luggage tags, luggage proximity systems, pagers, messaging devices, transmitters and transceivers.
One of the biggest problems frequent air travelers have, and it is reflected in numerous surveys, is the fears and concerns which airline travelers today have about their bags and packages, which are turned over to the airlines to be carried as checked baggage, is a delay or mis routing of baggage especially such that the baggage is not traveling with the traveler. In addition, today""s air carriers use a hub system that many times forces a traveler and his articles to change airplanes before reaching their final destinations. Many times a passenger""s articles will begin a trip together only to be separated at a transfer point, especially the airlines""s hub, during the journey.
The fact that a traveler knows that there is a chance of separation from baggage and checked articles causes concern, worry, and a feeling of helplessness. If the traveler were to positively have an indication that the bags were on the flight with him, the traveler would be able to relax, have a more enjoyable flight and concentrate all of his attention on working, reading, conversing or other activities during the flight. If the traveler were to positively have an indication that the bags were not on the flight with him, the traveler would be able to take steps to remedy the problem. For example if the traveler had knowledge that his bags were in fact separated from the traveler, he would be able to plan ahead by coordinating with the airline and others about replacing necessary articles, clothing, and the like at his destination to make up for any delay or ultimate loss of the articles and baggage. In addition, if the traveler knew at what physical location the separation of his articles and luggage occurred, especially in a journey requiring multiple changes in aircraft, he would be able to pass this superior knowledge on to the air lines to assist them in locating the luggage and articles which were separated. This information would be of value not only to the traveler, but to the airlines as well in achieving an efficient recovery of the bag.
An ancillary problem is the wait and uncertainty faced by a traveler in having to debark, walk to the baggage claim and locate his luggage and articles. In some cases the luggage and articles may already have been available for others to mistakenly take as their own. In other instances, the traveler has to wait and compete for his luggage and articles around a crowded carousel. Even when the traveler arrives at the carousel before his luggage and articles arrive, he may not see his checked belongings when they first emerge or they may be mistakenly removed by someone else.
Further, a traveler who is forced to wait at a carousel to defend possession of his luggage and articles will likely have to wait a second time in order to arrange ground transportation. Because people are so protective of their luggage and articles, they will rarely leave the carousel to chance while taking the opportunity for a rental car or shuttle transaction during the time before the luggage and articles arrive.
The separation of an airline traveler from his lug Any time that a traveler changes planes, and particularly when the passenger""s arrival time is close to the next departure time, especially at a hub connection, there is a significant probability that the baggage will not make the flight on which the passenger has boarded. Also, depending upon the layout of the airport, and especially at a large hub where the physical distance between the arrival gate and the departure gate is large, a passenger making a tight connection may miss the next flight even though his baggage made it onto the plane.
Another danger which increases the worry of airline travelers is the possibility that the identity ticket on the checked baggage may become torn off inadvertently through ordinary handling. In this event, the luggage is certain to miss transfer at a hub, and even if it makes it way to a destination, the traveler may have trouble identifying it as his own, may increase the chances of being inadvertently claimed by someone else, and may also have trouble convincing gate security that the luggage and articles with the missing tag is his.
The baggage systems and airport security from air line to air line varies greatly. Some air lines use a computer to keep up with the baggage. Other air lines simply react only after a passenger is unable to locate their baggage. Where the baggage follows the passenger, the passenger can simply wait at the airport and only hope that it arrives. Where the baggage travels ahead of the passenger, there is some increased chance that it may be lost or stolen. If the passenger could call ahead, either from an aircraft phone or a personal phone, arrangements could be made to have the baggage collected as soon as it is available and held for later pickup after a positive identification of the owner.
The most overriding reason that it is valuable for the traveler to know if his baggage is accompanying the traveler is that many airports have such lax security that if the traveler is not on hand to collect the baggage when it is first made available to the passengers, there is a likelihood that it will be stolen.
Further, with the problems associated with the air line liability for lost baggage and the like, any system, no matter how rudimentary, which gives the air lines the ability to cut losses, would be welcome.
Another problem with baggage which does not travel in unison with the traveler is that of location and transfer. Baggage which travels on another flight is generally never separated from the baggage made available to the travelers of the arriving flight. As such, it becomes apparent that the baggage will maintain its unclaimed status only after a long time has passed since it was made available. This time period can be as long as an hour and a half, and where only one or a few baggage output areas are available, and during busy times, the baggage may not be identified as unclaimed for hours. As a result of any of these delays, and when the traveler makes inquiry at the destination location, the baggage, not being immediately held by the baggage claim department, is technically lost, and personnel have to be dispatched to look for it.
Other problems may compound the initial problem of baggage not traveling in unison with the traveler, including torn, damaged or removed destination tags, additional opportunity for pilferage by air line employees, and the like. Again, since most of the problems associated with lost baggage begins with a separation of the baggage from in-unison travel of the passenger, the most rudimentary help would include an early notification of the air line so that the baggage could be identified, located and segregated in order that more complete control over the baggage can be established. Secondarily, in transmitting the information to the air line baggage department, it would be important to know how many items of baggage were missing and if possible which items of baggage were missing, including a description of the physical shape and color of the baggage item.
What would be of even further help would be a device or method to aid in physical location of an item of lost baggage. As a beginning step, a system which would assist the owner of the baggage in personally locating it, perhaps in assistance with air line personnel would prove helpful. A system which is standardized and in which the air lines also shared in data base identification would even more greatly help as it would provide complete coordination between the traveler and the air line and reduce the instances of lost baggage to a minimum.
A significant problem identified for aircraft and aircraft controls is the interference caused by PEDs such as the aforementioned luggage location system, cell phones and computers. Excessive interference can interfere with or in extreme cases cause malfunction of aircraft systems. In general, all PEDs vary to such a great degree that poorly designed PEDs can emit excessive electromagnetic energy outside the frequency range and normal emissions power. The less expensive devices tend to be more widely available and used and these devices typically have much looser emissions specifications.
In addition, even where the PEDs operate normally and within specified limits the danger of interference on an aircraft is still present and especially at a time when the PED is not normally in use. New battery packs and more efficient operational electronics have provided users with longer battery life between charges/changes such that PEDs are typically left on to continue operating even when they are either inaccessible or operation inhibited. Cell phones are but one example. The typical use before re-charge, even when cell phones are left on, is on the order of several days. Due to this, users have developed the habit of leaving them on, even in circumstances where use will not occur. The most prevalent modes with regard to aircraft are with respect to PEDs which are in checked luggage, or are on the person or in personal carry on brief cases and bags. When traveling, the cell phone is a roam mode and uses more power than when the cell phone is neglected while within the home territory.
Another problem is power management. This problem exists in all electronic equipment, regardless of whether it emits potentially interfering electromagnetic signals. Although battery management has improved, any system which shuts off PEDs which have inadvertently been left on is highly desirable. In the area of aircraft flight, where the average duration of a trip is hours, any such saving would be extremely beneficial.
Generally, all devices carried by travelers should be shut off while on the aircraft. This includes cell phones, radios, CD players and tape recorders. Even where it is unintended, as in equipment having no immediately cognizable electromagnetic signal, unintended signals used on PEDs equipment can easily pass beyond the equipment housing and into the surrounding environment. These signals can combine to add to, subtract from and further modulate other signals. When this happens with one passenger""s equipment, the outcome is unpredictable enough, but an aircraft filled with miscellaneous equipment can produce a cacophony of signals which can provide a real danger to the aircraft if the mix of output matches one of the systems utilized by the aircraft enough to interfere with it.
An even more useful is a power management system which may be used independently of or integrally with the needed PED. The independent operation is particularly useful where the logic operation of the main device would itself produce a significant power drain or spurious signal output. The needed system should enable equipment to shut off to extent possible when the equipment is on an aircraft. Even where equipment does not normally operate to deliberately output electromagnetic signals, a power management system can be used to insure that equipment inadvertently left on will shut off, but only when it proper. Where equipment does normally operate to deliberately output electromagnetic signals, a power management system can be used to independently insure that equipment inadvertently left on will either shut off, stop or reduce emissions, or reduce the level of operation. Where a standby mode is provided, the equipment may be instructed by an independent circuit to go into standby mode. The needed equipment should be programmable to sense the aircraft environment through a variety of sensing attributes including pressure, electromagnetic signature, signals particular to an airport, sounds such as are found on an aircraft, as well as command and control signals which may be applied within or appurtenant to the aircraft environment. The problems associated with PEDs may also be acute in the field of luggage location systems given the duration of flight.
A communication system is provided which can be realized in a number of ways to facilitate baggage tracking and recovery, and in which the problems associated with PED operation are solved.
In the most rudimentary realization, the traveler receives a signal from transmitters placed in the baggage which can identify the presence of each item of baggage by a code number which may show either as the code number or as a user supplied personal designator for a particular item of luggage. The transmitter is inexpensive and low power but works well in the aircraft environment and causes no interference with aircraft control, communication or navigation equipment. A first aspect of a preferred embodiment of the transmitter is programmable with an identification code of sufficient length to avoid interference with other codes. A second aspect is programmability as to transmitter mode. Depending upon the length of the trip being undertaken, pre-programmability can enable the user to instruct the transmitter to transmit during time windows when the user wants to know about the physical accompaniment of the baggage, such as times surrounding departure of the initial flight and the times surrounding the departure of the connecting flight. In addition, a rescue mode is programmable into the transmitter for a beacon signal at high power at given times and optionally a locator beacon at other times. Programmability of the transmitter is highly adaptable to (1) a custom receiver provided, (2) a custom control transceiver provided, or (3) the use of other receivers and transceivers through cloning or duplication of the send and receive identification information.
The frequency mode of operation can be radio frequency electromagnetic waves modulated with identity and information as amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, pulse width modulation, spread spectrum, the family radio frequencies at the 400-500 megahertz range, the cell and pager frequencies at 900 megahertz and higher frequencies. The system may also use sonic transmission and reception in addition to the radio frequency operating modes. Preferably, the frequency mode of operation can be programmable to include any number of frequencies at least sequentially.
As a result of the above, the invention can be provided to the user as a simple transmitter for use in conjunction with a user""s pre-existing pager or pre-existing cell phone or receiver. At the next level, the system of the present invention can be provided as a transmitter and receiver system where the user can program the transmitters included with the baggage and then utilize the receiver to get a more exact readout of the status of the baggage. In addition, the receiver can carry a signal strength indicator which is useful in indicating the proximity of the baggage. At the next level, the transmitter which is placed with the baggage is replaced with a transponder and the custom receiver of the user becomes a transceiver. In this embodiment level, maximum efficiency is obtained. The startup protocol can include: (1) a timer in the transponder to turn on and off during a narrow window during which the traveler""s transceiver can bring the transponder to fall power and interrogate multiple transponders as to their identity and presence.
The advantages of the ability of the traveler to use the system of the invention are several. Where one piece of baggage is missing, the user can then contact the air lines and notify them, in some cases in time to correct a small routing problem and include the baggage on the flight. In other cases, the airline may be able to find the luggage early enough to then specially route the luggage on another flight or even another carrier such that it catches up with the traveler at the next stop.
Another advantage is at the arrival terminal. The traveler will be notified by the system when his luggage and articles enter the room. Thus, while others stand around the carousel, the traveler using the system of the invention can transact business at the rental car or ground transportation area, which is typically in the same room or closely adjacent to the baggage carousel. As the luggage or articles enter the room, the traveler""s receiver will indicate the arrival. This can be accompanied by a beep, a light illumination, as well in a manner which will indicate which bags have arrived. Even if the traveler is in the midst of transacting business, it will be an easy matter to simply step over to the carousel, retrieve the article and then return to a counter where business was being transacted.
Using this system, the traveler saves not only piece of mind but a tremendous time saving as well. Further, in any situation outside of the aircraft, rather than fight the crowds around the carousel, the traveler can observe his baggage arrive into the room, on his hand held monitor, piece by piece.
Further, in the event that the traveler""s baggage is lost, he can accompany a baggage employee with the hand held monitor to indicate the articles""s presence. The traveler can further send a signal to the bags to emit any of a number of sounds from a short beep to a siren blast to facilitate finding the baggage.
As will be shown in the Figures and description, the system of the present invention is realizable in a wide variety of levels of complexity and communicative overlay. In general, a larger and more sophisticated version of the invention will be initially shown, followed by a more compact and simple version.
In one embodiment of the communications topology, the transmitter associated with the luggage would emit a series of two or three short pulses of from approximately about less than a second each to about a second each and sent about every ten seconds within a first period as a sending interval, and then followed by a second period as a rest period of about one minute of rest. For example, where two pulses are sent within twenty seconds, followed by a one minute rest period, a one minute and twenty second minimum length action cycle is created. Thus, an indicator unit would have a listening period longer than the minimum length action cycle and may have multiples of such cycle. Further, since the system of the invention utilizes multiple transmitters, and although the probability is small, to prevent doubling transmission signals from consistently interfering with each other, at least one of the length of the rest cycle and the minimum ten second transmission spacing is randomized so that the rest cycle can be greater or less than about a minute, and so that the transmission spacing can range from the minimum ten seconds to about 30 seconds. It is preferable that if one of the transmission spacing and rest period is randomized that the other be complementarily shortened to give a maximum operational window which does not exceed the maximum time which the indicator unit of the invention is switched on and is actively looking for the signal. Even with such complementary randomization, a very low magnitude duty cycle is created and allows for an extended battery life. In a larger version this extends battery life such that the batteries are more likely to fail from age and environmental effects than depletion of current. In a smaller, more compact version, even coin sized batteries supplying power supporting only a transmit function would enable a battery life of two years or more.
The more sophisticated system would include a transceiver which could communicate and command the transmitter and contemplates a transmitter with other capabilities including frequency band switching, frequency mode of transmission, audible signaling and more. The simplest system would include a small, preferably only simply programmable or of dedicated pre-specified function and which could be clipped onto the belt, or carried in the pocket or purse. The smaller version would preferably have a diode or crystal display that would indicate that it has received an identity signal from the luggage or other articles to show the traveler that such luggage or other articles have been loaded aboard the aircraft while the traveler is also on board. Even on the small, lightweight version of the receiver, an indicator will preferably be able to receive signals from four to six transmitters located in from four to six separate units of luggage. Each of the different transmitters, one for each unit of luggage, would preferably carry its own code which would be modulated onto its transmitter signal.
Regardless of complexity, the receiver of the invention would have the capability for both a shutdown after several minutes of operation, as well as a shutdown after receiving a signal from the numbers of different units of luggage on the trip. For example, if there are three codes to be detected, and all three are in fact detected, the unit could shut itself down to conserve power. On subsequent power-up, and before the circuit is cleared for another probing of the transmitter""s presence within the aircraft, the receiver unit can simply indicate the presence of the transmitters. This will conserve power by not having to keep the receiver on for long periods of time, and the power necessary to store a simple indication of having received the signal is de minimis. Low power is an advantage both to the traveler and within the aircraft environment. For example, smoke detectors have currently been approved for aircraft use in a wireless system where the power is of insufficient magnitude to interfere with aircraft electronics, yet secure in communications to perform its important function. The utilization of low power within an aircraft is especially facilitated by modem aircraft internal barriers, floors, and surroundings, which are made of composite material. The random communicative aspect derives from a sparse number and location of portals through which the signal could have passed if such were available, as well as a concomitant high dependence upon orientation toward such portals, on behalf of both the transmitter and the receiver. Further, high power transmitters would be just as likely to give a xe2x80x9cpresencexe2x80x9d reading from 100 yards away on the tarmac as they would inside the aircraft. Currently used composite and fiberglass supports within the fuselage are transmissive of electromagnetic radiation and contribute to the ability to effectively utilize low power on the system of the invention. Other issues include the use of a power and frequency which will not interfere with the aircraft electronics. Smoke detectors now in utilization on aircraft have a power output and frequency and operating mode in conformity with those described for the present invention and have shown to be compatible with the electronic environment of the basic aircraft electronics. The preferred embodiment may have ordinary single direction polarization or circular polarization, particularly if there is enough room for a phased array.
However, with regard to eliminating even further problems which are generally associated with PEDs, a power management system is provided which can be realized in a number of ways to facilitate reduction of harmful emissions and to provide power conservation, and which can be used with the luggage location system of the invention to eliminate any PED based objections to its use onboard an aircraft. The principles will be discussed in relation to PEDs generally with the implicit understanding that the luggage location system of the invention is but one such PED.
The problem of power management is addressed by one of the many systems programmable to sense the aircraft environment through a variety of sensing attributes including pressure, electromagnetic signature, signals particular to an airport, sounds such as are found on an aircraft, as well as command and control signals which may be applied within or appurtenant to the aircraft environment. In the system exemplified, a pressure transducer is used to sense an aircraft""s pressure/altitude profile and is utilized to optionally manage internal or external controls for both shut down, turn on, and reduced operation, especially electromagnetic reception and transmission control in the case of a PED which transmits or receives. This system can be applied to any device, including cell phones, radios, CD players and tape recorders. The system overcomes the fact that most travelers tend to be inattentive to personal electronic equipment leaving such equipment on, especially since the equipment battery usage has become so efficient that users have accustomed themselves to long usage periods. Advantage is taken of the fact that commercial aircraft, whether pressurized or un-pressurized, tends to produce a predictable profile, and this profile is made compatible with the power consumption and transmitter behavior of the communications system. Should standards be developed to apply to all personal electronic equipment which are likely to be brought aboard aircraft, air safety would be vastly improved. Further, the control can be overridden where the user has manual access to the PEDs where immediate cognitive usage is desired. This may be especially useful for PEDs located in, xe2x80x9ccarry onxe2x80x9d luggage which is involuntarily and in a rushed manner converted to xe2x80x9cchecked baggagexe2x80x9d at the last minute especially due to size and weight restrictions.
The techniques of the invention also prevent unwarranted shut off of PEDs such as when a user boards an elevator to a tall building, or where the user drives an automobile up a mountain. These types of conditions are a signal that an aircraft environment may be about to be present, but are not fully proven as present.